As the Middle East war entered its fifteenth day, Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism reported that at least 56 museums and historic sites across the country have been damaged, according to Arab News.
During the early days of the conflict that began on February 28, U.S. and Israeli strikes damaged the UNESCO‑listed Golestan Palace in Tehran.
Being one of Tehran’s oldest historic sites, the palace complex served as the royal residence of the Qajar dynasty.
The ministry also reported that Tehran has recorded the highest number of damaged monuments in the country, with 19 sites showing varying degrees of harm due to the US-Israel strikes.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East.
Iran has been responding with a retaliatory counterattack in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.
One of the US-Israel strikes had killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His killing has raised critical questions concerning Iran’s future.
The strikes also damaged the vast Naqsh‑e Jahan Square, a 17th‑century architectural masterpiece at the heart of Isfahan and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In the port city of Siraf, in Bushehr province, several homes in the historic district—home to numerous century-old buildings—were struck.
On Friday, UNESCO expressed its deep concerns about hundreds of historic and cultural sites in Iran, Israel, and Lebanon that have been damaged or are at risk amid the ongoing conflict.
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